


I Could Be Your Crush

by miyaonigiri



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cute Yamaguchi Tadashi, Dorks in Love, Falling In Love, First Love, Fluff, Getting Together, I Will Go Down With This Ship, M/M, More tags to be added, Rating May Change, Romance, Soft Tsukishima Kei, Teen Romance, Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi Friendship, Volleyball Dorks in Love, Yamaguchi Tadashi-centric, but it won't ever go higher than T, tsukkiyama - Freeform, your honor they are in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:28:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27495739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miyaonigiri/pseuds/miyaonigiri
Summary: Seeing Tsukishima highlighted by the fading sunlight, tossing out a witty quip or well thought-out remark, wasn’t something that Tadashi would ever want to miss out on. Tadashi wished that he could capture these moments and tuck them away in his head, so that if anything happened between them, he’d still have these precious memories to look back at.Or:How two adorable volleyball dorks fall in love.
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 9
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yes the title is from Tessa Violet's song "Crush", it gives me major Tsukkiyama vibes :P

Tadashi woke up to the sound of his phone alarm beeping steadily, a high pitched cadence that (almost) never fails to rouse him. He opened his eyes blearily, rubbing the sleep from them before silencing the alarm. After getting dressed, he wandered through the house to the kitchen, snagging a piece of toast before walking out the door.

Although waking up at such an early time wasn’t the most pleasant, it was something that Tadashi was sure he would never want to change. See, if he didn’t wake up that early he wouldn't be able to meet up with Tsukishima and walk to morning practice with him. 

“Morning, Tsukki!” Tadashi said, sporting a bright smile as he walked up to Tsukishima.

Tsukishima gave him a small smile in return before they started off towards Karasuno. He slipped his headphones back over his ears as he walked next to Tadashi, but that didn’t dispel the comfortable and familiar atmosphere between them.

Tadashi knew that the blonde wasn’t very talkative, especially early in the morning, so he was content with just walking beside him in silence. Although Tsukishima was listening to his music and Tadashi was lost in his thoughts, there was still a comfortable, familiar atmosphere between them. This was how it had always been, ever since Tadashi had managed to befriend the other boy, and Tadashi couldn’t imagine life any other way.

***

Tadashi sat at his usual seat next to Tsukishima in their class, listening as the teacher droned on and on about algebra and variables. He stole quick glances at Tsukishima as the class period continued, splitting his attention between taking notes and looking beside him. Tsukishima’s look of quiet concentration and focus was one of Tadashi’s favorite things to see, pulling his eyes to it like a moth to the flame.

He gazed at the boy’s eyes, watching as they shifted from the paper, to the board, and back again, a never ending cycle. His eyes were a soft brown, almost caramel color. They were the main thing that Tadashi used to see how Tsukishima was really feeling, under the sarcastic comments and apathetic expression. They really were a beautiful color-

And they were focused on him. Noticing belatedly that he had been caught staring, he looked down quickly, a slight blush rising on his face. He dared a glance back, noting the slightly quizzical expression on the taller boy’s face, before Tsukishima started whispering quietly.

“Yamaguchi, what’s up?” He whispered, turning slightly in his chair to look at Tadashi.

“Oh, um, nothing!” Tadashi whispered back, internally panicking. He didn’t want to lie to Tsukishima, but he couldn’t very well say _sorry I was staring, you’re just really pretty_ , could he?

“Are you sure?” Tsukishima said, looking slightly concerned.

“Yep!” Tadashi said, a bit too loudly due to his nervousness. The teacher turned around to level a slight glare at him for disrupting the class, and he looked back at his desk, hoping that Tsukishima would drop the topic.

Thankfully, he did, and the rest of the class period passed by uneventfully.

***

After class when it was time for practice, Tadashi and Tsukishima walked to the gym leisurely, only to find Hinata and Kageyama wedged in the doorway, fighting about who would be the first inside. Tsukishima smirked slightly before walking up to them and proceeded to unceremoniously shove his way in between.

“Oi, what the hell, Tsukishima?” Kageyama exclaimed as he fell through the doorway. 

“My bad,” Tsukishima said, not looking apologetic in the slightest. Tadashi snickered quietly at that, and followed him inside and into the changing room.

While they changed, Tadashi made a point not to talk to Tsukishima. He knows from personal experience that talking to him while changing leads to looking at him while changing, and that will inevitably turn Tadashi into a blushing, stuttering mess. 

As soon as the rest of the team finishes changing, they start with some receiving drills in pairs. Tadashi and Tsukishima partnered up, going through the familiar motions as easily as breathing. Tadashi gets lost in the routine, just focusing on the motions, until he’s jolted out of his trance by Tsukishima’s voice.

“...Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima said, slight irritation evident in his tone. Tadashi flushed, embarrassed. How long had he tuned out Tsukishima for?

“Oh, um, sorry, Tsukki,” He said, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand and smiling nervously, gripping the volleyball with his other hand. “What were you saying?”

“I was asking what was up with you earlier.” Tsukishima said. “You know, with the whole zoning out thing in class.”

Shoot, Tadashi thought that the other boy would have forgotten about that already. “I was just kind of… lost in thought?” Tadashi said, phrasing it as more of a question than an answer.

“Well, what were you thinking about?” Tsukishima said, a little bit of curiosity seeping into his gaze. Tadashi internally panicked. He had to think of something to say that would make Tsukishima drop the topic without a fuss. If he didn’t give just the right answer, then the boy would keep asking, and then that would lead to Tadashi spilling out all of his feelings, which was less than ideal.

“Yamaguchi?” Tsukishima asked, and Tadashi realized that he had waited too long to answer.

_Oh!_ Tadashi thought.

“Volleyball!” He blurted out, a little bit too loudly. “You know, I’m just nervous for our next practice match, the one against Nekoma!”

“Oh, okay,” Tsukishima said, easily dropping the topic with just those words and a disinterested tone of voice. Tadashi knew that the one topic Tsukishima wouldn’t want to talk about for extended periods of time was volleyball, as he thought that just playing and practicing was enough.

Tadashi internally cheered when it was finally time for them to switch to practicing spiking, as he wouldn’t have to worry about skirting around the topic any more. He could still feel Tsukishima’s eyes on him for the rest of practice, although he didn’t make an attempt to continue the conversation. 

***

Tadashi and Tsukishima walked out of practice together and started to walk down the familiar roads leading to their homes. It became a habit for them, the same as walking to school together. Tadashi enjoys the walks home more, though, because oftentimes they get a wonderful view of the sunset.

Seeing Tsukishima highlighted by the fading sunlight, tossing out a witty quip or well thought-out remark, wasn’t something that Tadashi would ever want to miss out on. Tadashi wished that he could capture these moments and tuck them away in his head, so that if anything happened between them, he’d still have these precious memories to look back at.

It was times like this that made Tadashi’s lips curl upwards into a soft smile, an almost unconscious reaction. He knew that Tsukishima would just tease him for getting all soft, but he knew that deep down the other boy enjoyed those moments just as much.

“Hey,” Tsukishima said, bringing Tadashi out of his impromptu trip down memory lane. “Are you doing anything tonight?”

Tadashi went over his schedule for the day; after practice, he had to finish some homework, but that was just about it.

“No, I don’t think so,” Tadashi said. “Why?”

“I was wondering if you’d like to stay over tonight,” Tsukishima says. “We haven’t done that in a while, and I was thinking that we could finish our homework then as well.”

Tadashi internally started to panic at that. It was true that they hadn’t slept over at either of their houses in a while, with volleyball practice monopolizing a lot of their free time after school. Tadashi liked their sleepovers, he liked them a _lot_. But, he had only realized the extent of his crush on the other boy relatively recently, and he didn’t know how that would affect the sleepover.

The longer he waited to answer, the lower the edges of Tsukishima’s lips sank, going from a slight smile down to a straight line.

“Sure!” Tadashi said, plastering on a bright smile. Although he was still panicking about going over, he really didn’t want to cause Tsukishima to be uncomfortable about asking. “Wait, but I don’t have any pajamas to wear, they’re still at my house…”

“Don’t worry about that, you can just borrow some of my clothes.” Tsukishima said.

“Oh, thanks, Tsukki!” Tadashi replied. As they continued walking, Tadashi glanced over at Tsukishima, seeing a hint of red on the boy’s cheeks and the tips of his ears. Was it-

  
No, he couldn’t be blushing. Tadashi dismissed the notion, attributing the red to the weather, or the slight strain from walking all the way home after practice. The unflappable Tsukishima couldn’t possibly be blushing because of Tadashi.

***

“Yamaguchi, your answer for number 6 is wrong.” Tsukishima said, pointing at Tadashi’s math worksheet. Tadashi groaned and dropped his head onto the table.

“How??” He grumbled, the word coming out slightly muffled. 

“Maybe if you paid more attention to the teacher and your notes than to looking at me, you’d know how to do it by now.” Tsukishima stated matter of factly, although the teasing lilt at the end gave him away.

“Tsukkiii,” Tadashi said, raising his head to pout at the blond. Tsukishima leveled a stern look at him, wordlessly telling him to focus and get back to work.

“See, here’s what you should have done instead,” Tsukishima said, leaning in closer to write on Tadashi’s worksheet, correcting his mistake. Tadashi felt himself start to blush and pressed his hands to his cheeks in an attempt to cool them down.

“Yamaguchi? Are you sick?” Tsukishima said as he pressed the back of his hand against Tadashi’s forehead. “Your face is really red.”

“N-no, I’m fine,” Tadashi said, not elaborating. 

“Oh,” Tsukishima responded simply. He removed his hand and evaluated Tadashi, looking slightly suspicious due to Tadashi’s flimsy response. Without the other boy’s hand on his forehead, Tadashi felt his heartbeat slowing down and the heat fading from his cheeks. Satisfied with what he saw, Tsukishima’s lips curled upwards at the corners ever so slightly, and he went back to working on the homework.

After they finished the last couple problems, the boys packed up the schoolwork and Tadashi sat back down at the table. Tsukishima went into the kitchen to start preparing the instant ramen, calling out to Tadashi as he retrieved everything.

“Hey, Yamaguchi, what do you want to do tonight?” He asked.

“Maybe we could watch a movie or something?” Tadashi asked, proud of his voice for holding steady. Immersing himself in the plot of a movie would serve the very necessary purpose of distracting Tadashi from the crush he had on his best friend, and he was sure that Tsukishima would agree to watch. Usually he was a little worn out after school, practice, and homework, and to be honest Tadashi could use that break as well.

“Sure,” Tsukishima responded. “Oh yeah, I just got this new dinosaur movie recently. Would you be okay with watching that?”

“Of course, Tsukki!” Tadashi replied brightly, a grin on his face. Although dinosaur movies weren’t necessarily his all time favorite genre of movies, seeing the expressions on Tsukishima’s face during them made watching the movies absolutely worth it.

Tsukishima set up the movie while Tadashi turned down the lights, and they both settled next to each other on the couch. Tadashi was pretty relaxed for the beginning of the movie, until Tsukishima’s arm brushed against his while reaching for the instant ramen on the table in front of the couch. It only lasted a second, but that brief point of contact felt electric to Tadashi.

Tsukishima didn’t even look like he noticed it, which Tadashi honestly wasn’t so surprised about. The only reason that Tadashi was so fixated on it was because of his stupid crush. Casual touches that had previously just seemed casual and comfortable now made his heart beat twice as fast and caused his head to fill with endless what-if scenarios and daydreams. Those little touches weren’t usually such a problem, because Tsukishima had never really been one for excessive physical affection, but they ended up being pretty problematic when Tadashi was watching a movie alone with him.

Although Tadashi most certainly enjoyed those little touches and the thrill that came with them, after a while it was hard to contain his blush. He was so thankful that he had the foresight to turn down the lights before starting the movie, otherwise the other teen surely would have noticed.

Before he realized it, the movie was over. Although Tadashi had tried his best to focus on it, as he was slightly interested in the subject, he had resigned himself to not knowing what was going on about halfway through. He wasn’t bored, but he found it hard to concentrate on it when Tsukishima was right there beside him on the couch, watching the movie with such an adorable expression. He practically had stars in his eyes, and Tadashi was sad to see them fade when the credits started rolling.

Tsukishima yawned and reached above his head, stretching out his arms. His shirt was pulled upwards by the stretch, exposing a couple of inches of skin that Tadashi’s eyes were immediately drawn to. Tadashi looked away quickly when he noticed himself staring, mortified at even the idea of being caught.

“Do you want to go to bed now? It’s getting kinda late,” Tsukishima said, his voice slightly gravelly from not speaking during the lengthy movie.

“S-sure! Sounds good!” Tadashi responded, once again grateful for the relative darkness. He could tell that the other boy was giving him a strange look even without being able to see it, so he started off towards Tsukishima’s bedroom, hoping to avoid questions.

***

After both boys washed up, they went back into Tsukishima’s room to change into pajamas and go to sleep. Tadashi had a mini heart attack when he remembered how he left his sleep clothes at his house, and how he had agreed to borrow some of Tsukishima’s clothes to sleep in. Sure, he would like sleeping in the other’s clothes, but Tadashi was more worried that he would like it a little too much.

Tsukishima didn’t make a big deal out of it, composed as always as he tossed a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants to Tadashi.

“Here you go, they should last you for tonight,” Tsukishima said, and Tadashi answered with a rushed exclamation of gratitude. When they had finished changing, Tadashi turned off the light and then slipped under the covers, next to Tsukishima.

Sleeping in the same bed had pretty much always been a habit for them. It had started with the frequent sleepovers between them, where Tadashi had slept on the guest futon at Tsukishima’s and vice versa, and then eventually they just didn’t bother to set up the futon any more. It hadn’t really seemed to be a big deal for them, as it was what they had simply always done, but when Tadashi had realized his feelings then it seemed a lot more important.

It was both heaven and hell for Tadashi. On one hand, he couldn’t get enough of falling asleep to the strawberry scent that Tsukishima always seemed to emit. It wasn’t usually noticeable, as the scent came from his conditioner, but when they were as close as they were under the covers, it was all that Tadashi could focus on. On the other hand, it made him wish for more, for a reality where he could wake up every morning beside the blond. Tadashi pushed those thoughts out of his head. He was content with their current relationship, and he wouldn’t trade it for the world, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want more.

That night, Tadashi fell asleep with his legs tangled with Tsukishima’s, and the scent of strawberries in his nose.

***

Tadashi woke up first, as he usually did. He was much more of a morning person than Tsukishima, and this made it so that even when he had the opportunity to sleep in, his body would still naturally wake up. As he cracked open his eyes, he was greeted with the sight of a still-asleep Tsukishima, backlit by the soft glow of the morning sun. The teen had a soft expression on his face, unguarded and innocent. It was so different from the expressions that he usually wore during the day, which ranged from uninterested, to mocking, and often annoyance.

However, the peaceful moment couldn’t last forever. Tsukishima woke up slowly, rubbing his eyes and sitting up slightly. He turned towards Tadashi, his eyes still half-closed, and noticed that he was awake.

“Oh, Yamaguchi, you’re awake,” He said, voice soft and slow, and Tadashi responded with a small nod and a slight smile. He knew that it wasn’t fair of him, but he desperately wanted to be the only one to see this soft version of Tsukishima. “What time is it?” The blond asked as he turned to put his glasses on. 

“It’s only 7 a.m.,” Tadashi said after checking the clock. He knew that it was Saturday, so they could sleep in a little longer, but he honestly doubted that he would be able to fall back asleep. He dropped his head back on the pillow and looked up towards the ceiling, reveling in the tranquil atmosphere.

Tsukishima slipped out of the covers and stood up, before padding out of the room and into the kitchen. From the bedroom Tadashi heard him start up the coffee maker, and he decided to follow after him. They had both picked up the habit of drinking coffee in the mornings a while ago, and although they didn’t need it to stay awake, it was nice to have a cup before school.

Tadashi sat on a stool by the counter, slightly slumped to the side, his head propped on his hand. The sight of Tsukishima walking around the kitchen in the morning just felt so domestic and soft, and that feeling enveloped Tadashi, warming him from the inside out. He let himself be selfish for a little while, imagining that this wasn’t just a sleepover, but that it was the norm. He imagined waking up to morning kisses, breath sour but the affection no less sweet. Oh, if only Tsukishima knew how much he wanted that.

Speaking of Tsukishima, he had finally finished making the coffee, and had set down a mug in front of Tadashi before settling onto the stool next to him. “Plenty of sugar, just like you like it,” Tsukishima said, before taking a sip of his own coffee. “I don’t get how you can drink it when it’s that sweet,” He said, a joking smile on his lips. See, the thing was, he would always tease Tadashi about liking his coffee so sweet, but they both knew that he took his the same way, if not even sweeter.

“Sure, sure, like you can talk, Tsukki,” Tadashi responded with a little giggle at the end, facing the other boy.

“When do you have to leave?” Tsukishima asked, which reminded Tadashi to check his phone.

“I’m not sure, I can check right now though.” Tadashi opened up his text messages, looking for a text from his mother before sending one off to ask her when he’d have to return. Tsukishima stood up to peer over his shoulder and read the texts as well, although Tadashi didn’t notice this until he turned to tell the blond that he would have to check and came face-to-face with him.

“Tsukki, I-” He started, before noticing where the other boy was. Their faces were mere inches apart now, a fact that sent Tadashi’s heart into overdrive immediately. Tsukishima stared into his eyes, and time seemed to freeze momentarily. Tadashi was hyper aware of the close distance, and the feeling of Tsukishima’s breath ghosting slightly over his lips as he exhaled slowly. His eyes were drawn to his lips, noting how close they were, and he thought that he could feel them both moving closer to each other. The distance between them was impossibly small, and Tadashi’s eyes had started to close, when-

_Ding!_

Tadashi’s phone lit up, the ringtone for an incoming text going off and interrupting the moment. They both jerked backwards, and Tadashi cursed his phone for going off right at that moment. Why, oh _why_ did his mom have to text him back right away?

Noticing what the text said, Tadashi took the opportunity to leave early, hoping to escape from the odd tension that had come between the two of them. “Sorry Tsukki, I think I have to go now,” Tadashi said, hurriedly grabbing the phone and the rest of his belongings to leave. “Is it okay if I return your clothes to you on Monday?” He said, after noticing that he was still wearing the other boy’s clothes.

“Yeah, of course,” Tsukishima said, with an indescribable expression on his face. He looked like he was struggling with something, and Tadashi just hoped that they could move on from what had almost happened, in one way or another.

Whether or not Tsukishima felt the same way as Tadashi didn’t matter as much as making sure that they both stayed friends. If Tsukishima didn’t feel the same way, then Tadashi still wanted to remain friends with him, even though it would be painful. On the off chance that the other boy actually did return his feelings, Tadashi wouldn’t even dream about getting together with him if it would later come at the cost of their friendship. Regardless of how Tadashi felt, their friendship would always come first.

Not addressing the possible almost-kiss and running away was Tadashi’s way of protecting their friendship. He didn’t know how the other boy felt about him, and he himself hadn’t confessed yet, so kissing right then could cause irreparable damage to their relationship. He had done everything he felt was right, but as he left, the only thing in his mind was that last expression on Tsukishima’s face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is finally out! Enjoy :)

School the next day was… rather anticlimactic, to say the least. After their almost-kiss, Tadashi expected that there would at least be a little bit of tension between them, but it seems like Tsukishima had just put the incident out of his mind. He never once remarked upon it, and Tadashi was content to not discuss it then, so the topic went unaddressed for the entirety of the school day. Of course it was a little bit awkward walking between classes without anything to talk about, but those breaks were manageable as they were short.

The real challenge for Tadashi came after school, between their last class and volleyball practice. He was walking with Tsukishima to the vending machine to buy a drink, and Tadashi was just talking to fill the silence, when suddenly a girl from their class approached the duo. Hitomi, he remembered her name to be. She was a pretty thing, with long, caramel-colored locks and big blue eyes. Why on earth she would be approaching Tsukishima was unclear to Tadashi, as he knew that the blonde had barely spoken a word to her in the entire year, despite them being in the same class.

“Ano, Tsukishima-kun? Do you have a minute?” She said, looking downwards before glancing back up at Tsukishima with a shy expression on her face. Tadashi noticed her hands clutching something behind her back, and felt his stomach drop when he saw that it was a pink envelope. The sense of dread he was feeling only became stronger when Tsukishima responded, and walked away with the girl. He could barely remember agreeing that it was okay for them to speak someplace more private, his heart pounding in his chest.

Even though he felt kind of bad about it, Tadashi didn’t think and stood close enough to catch a couple of glimpses of them, although he couldn’t make out most of what was said. He saw her fiddle with the letter before handing it over, her hands moving to grip the hem of her shirt while the blonde read it over. 

Tadashi felt anxious the whole time while watching them. Although of course he only wanted the best for Tsukishima, and for him to be happy, Tadashi couldn’t help but be selfish. He wanted Tsukishima only for himself, and so no matter how happy Hitomi could make him, he could never fully support them together.

After Tsukishima finished reading the letter, he folded it up and put it back in the envelope. He said something to Hitomi, and Tadashi could see her face fall. He felt vindictive pleasure at the sight of her hands dropping to her sides, releasing her hem as she stared at the ground despairingly. Tsukishima held out the envelope and pressed it into her hands as she reached out for it, and she gave a short bow before walking away from him. Tadashi could see her eyes glistening with unshed tears before they finally spilled over, cascading down her cheeks as she started to run away with a hand coming up to futilely attempt to wipe them away.

Tadashi felt his lips start to turn up at the corners and had to school his expression into something more appropriate, or at least more neutral. He was happy that her confession had obviously been rejected, but then felt his mood drop again when he realized that if he ever confessed, there was a possibility that it would be him running away with tears in his eyes. He pushed the thought away when he saw Tsukishima starting to walk over, and backed up until he was back by the vending machine where he said he would wait.

“How did it go?” Tadashi said, forcing cheer into his voice. Even though he knew what had happened, Tsukishima didn’t know that he had seen, and so he had to act clueless about it.

“It went fine,” The taller boy said, his face not betraying anything. He might as well have just taken a test due to how bored his expression was, and anybody who hadn’t seen the exchange wouldn’t have realized that he had just been confessed to. “I didn’t accept her confession.”

“Why not?” Tadashi asked. He was genuinely curious about it, because why wouldn’t Tsukishima like her? She was popular enough, objectively cute - even Tadashi could admit that, and she seemed like a very nice person to everyone. 

“I didn’t know her,” He said simply. Tadashi looked at him owlishly, blinking his eyes in confusion.

“But, Tsukki, she’s been in our class since the beginning of the year,” Tadashi stated, watching to see a reaction in the other boy’s face. 

“Oh,” Tsukishima said. Tadashi huffed out a light laugh at that, because of course Tsukishima wouldn’t know that. He hadn’t shown any interest in getting to know anyone else in their class, really, preferring to just stick with Tadashi. If anybody asked him who his friends were, Tsukishima would undoubtedly only name Tadashi, and if he was pressured about it then maybe the other first years in the volleyball club, but that was it. Still, somehow despite all of his antisocial habits and his general distaste for most people, a fair amount of girls liked him. This was the first time that one had actually approached him to confess, but plenty had expressed interest to Tadashi after noticing that they were best friends.

However, it didn’t seem like Tadashi had anything to worry about, with Tsukishima not even bothering to remember the names of anybody else in their classes.

“Yamaguchi?” Tsukishima said, and Tadashi realized that he had been tuning Tsukishima out yet again.

“Oh, sorry Tsukki, did you say something?” He said, blushing slightly in embarrassment.

“It’s time for us to go to practice,” Tsukishima said, waiting for Tadashi to nod in acknowledgement before they walked off together to the gym.

***

After practice when the team was walking to Sakanoshita Store to get some meat buns, Daichi asked if anyone had anything big happen to them recently, and Tadashi took the opportunity to embarrass Tsukishima.

“A girl from our class confessed to Tsukishima before practice!” Tadashi said, smirking slightly when he saw the boy’s face twist, his smile widening even more after realizing the slight red hue on his cheeks. 

“Yamaguchi urusai,” Tsukishima said, shooting him a glare as Nishinoya and Tanaka started to crowd around him and ask about his new girlfriend.

“Gomen Tsukki,” Tadashi said, still smiling.

“Why are you two going on and on about my ‘new girlfriend’? You didn’t even ask if I accepted her confession or not,” The blonde said, smirking when he saw their faces contort in shock.

“Wait, didn’t you accept it though?” Nishinoya said, looking at Tanaka with wide eyes.

“Did you accept it or not?” Tanaka practically shouted, gripping Tsukishima’s shoulders and shaking him slightly.

“Geez, no need to be so aggressive,” He said, smirking as he shook the second year off. “And no, I didn’t accept it.”

At that Tanaka and Nishinoya looked absolutely dumbstruck, with Tanaka clutching his shirt over his heart and Nishinoya straight up falling down, pretending to have fainted. Even the rest of the boys in the club were shocked, although by far not as much. 

“But why the hell not?” Tanaka said, looking torn between being angry at him and being shocked that he didn’t accept a confession from a pretty girl. 

“Language!” Daichi said, glaring at Tanaka before continuing. “We are all curious though, why didn’t you accept it?”

“It was-” Tsukishima started, before Tadashi interrupted gleefully.

“Tsukki said that he didn’t accept it because he didn’t know the girl, but she had been in our class from the beginning of the year!” He said, before laughing at the expressions on the other boys’ faces. Hinata and Kageyama weren’t too excited either way, which was understandable due to their lack of interest in anything other than volleyball. Tadashi didn’t know it was possible, but Tanaka and Nishinoya looked even more shocked than before. The other second years also seemed surprised, although their reactions were more tame. Asahi looked like he felt bad for the girl, while Daichi and Suga were laughing, with Suga practically doubled over and clutching his stomach.

Tsukishima, on the other hand, was completely flushed, with his cheeks glowing a brilliant red color. He put his hand over the top half of his face to try and hide it, but it didn’t really do much. Tadashi felt kind of bad about embarrassing him this much, but on the other hand he couldn’t help it, as he barely saw Tsukishima looking embarrassed and couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

“Alright, alright, enough harassing Tsukishima,” Daichi said after he stopped laughing.

“Finally, I was wondering when this would end,” Tsukishima said haughtily, turning to sneer at the two second years who were still gaping openly at him. They closed their mouths, which had been open the entire time, and looked slightly abashed, which was an achievement in itself.

Tadashi fell into step beside Tsukishima when they continued walking, and they talked quietly amongst themselves until they got to the store.

***

It was then a week later, and neither of them had acknowledged what had happened the morning after the sleepover. Tadashi had grown more and more on edge as the days had progressed, while Tsukishima just seemed to be stoic as usual. Tadashi didn’t see any of the impatience that was surely clear on his own face on the other boy’s, and he was getting more frustrated, wondering just when they would talk about it. Tadashi was too much of a coward to broach the subject, and Tsukishima could be really stubborn when he didn’t want to do - or rather talk about - something, so they were at an impasse.

After volleyball practice finished for the night and they were starting to walk off together, Tsukishima started the conversation for once. Usually it was Tadashi’s unspoken responsibility to keep the conversation going, so Tsukishima taking the initiative meant that it must have been something important.

“Hey, Yamaguchi,” He started before stopping briefly. Tadashi waited for him to continue, his heart beating fast. He couldn’t wait to hear what the other boy had to say, but simultaneously he didn’t want to hear it. If he was going to just outright reject him and say that what had almost happened was a mistake, then Tadashi would be crushed. His entire goal was to preserve their friendship, so if that incident caused them to drift apart, then Tadashi knew that he could never forgive himself.

“Would you maybe want to stay over again tonight?” Tsukishima said, with his eyes set looking forward as they walked. Tadashi immediately felt his face heat up as he remembered the last sleepover, and he raised a hand up to try to cover his flushed cheeks. 

“Sure, Tsukki!” Tadashi said after he took a moment to collect himself. Although of course Tadashi was excited to simply spend time with Tsukishima, he couldn’t help but hope that maybe something more would happen this time.

***

As children, Tadashi and Tsukishima were inseparable. The first time that they had met was in primary school, when Tsukishima had happened to be passing by as Tadashi was getting picked on. They didn’t know each other at the time, but regardless Tsukishima still stepped in, defending him. He had sneered at the bullies, towering over them as even in primary school he was exceptionally tall. Their first meeting marked the start of what Tadashi hoped would grow and become a lifelong friendship, if not something more. 

While they were in primary school, Tadashi followed Tsukishima around as closely as his shadow. At first he was worried that the other boy would become annoyed with him and not want to be friends with him any more, but the other boy never really seemed to mind Tadashi’s clingy behavior. In fact, one day after school Tadashi outright asked Tsukishima if he found him to be annoying and was only hanging out with him out of pity. 

Normally, Tadashi tried not to think that way, but as Tsukishima was one of his first real friends, it scared him to think about losing him. However, Tsukishima silenced those thoughts when he replied.

“Shut up, Yamaguchi. If I didn’t want you around you would know it.” He said, looking to the side in embarrassment. Even though his answer was as tsundere as ever, it caused a smile to break out on Tadashi’s face, like the sun emerging after an eclipse.

“Sorry, Tsukki!” Tadashi said, and they continued walking home. Tadashi didn’t recognize it at the time, but looking back it was all too clear that that was the time when deeper feelings for the boy had started to blossom inside of Tadashi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that this took so long to finish, I was having major writer's block and just. Could not think of anything to write next. I don't know when the next chapter will be out, but as I have said before, I most definitely will not forget about this story <3

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it this far, thank you for reading! This is only part one, and I promise that I won't forget about this fic. If you liked it, feel free to bookmark, comment, and/or leave kudos, as validation fuels my writing :)
> 
> Edit: I just remembered, happy Yamaguchi day everyone!!


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